Did you know that bathing or misting is important for hydrating your bird? When a bird lives indoors, her skin can become very dry, especially if your home has forced-air heat or air-conditioning.
Regular bathing will help your bird maintain her plumage by helping to remove dust, dander, extra oils, and loose feathers. Bathing or misting will also keep her skin moist. Birds should always be supervised when bathing and you should never force your bird to bathe.
You might have to try a few different options before you find your pet bird’s bathing preference. Some birds like to bathe in a shallow bowl of water, some prefer to take a ‘shower’ and some like to be misted with fresh water. Remember, birds are susceptible to drafts, so in order to avoid chilling your bird, use lukewarm to room temperature water for baths and do so in a warm, draft-free room. If your bird will let you, you can gently dry her off with a towel.
Lorraine Harman at The BirdWalk store in Painesville says that they have found that Amazon Parrots love to be misted and will follow employees around the store whenever they are carrying a misting bottle. She says the birds stretch their wings out just begging to be misted!
The BirdWalk sells commercial sprays that have ingredients to soften plumage, soothe dry skin, and deodorize. They caution that regular soap should never be used, as it will dry out the feathers and skin.
The BirdWalk also sells a birdbath that hangs on the bars of your bird’s cage. When bathing in a bowl, fill a prefab birdbath or shallow, heavy, stable bowl with one to two inches of water, depending on the size of your bird. It’s possible for a bird to drown if she is left unattended with a bowl that is filled too deeply with water. If you’re bathing in the cage, make sure you change the cage bottom to avoid mold/bacteria.
For the bird that likes to shower or be misted, you can purchase a perch with suction cups that sticks to your shower wall. At first, place the perch in an area where the bird will be misted, and then as she get used to it you can turn on a gentle, lukewarm shower, never hard, and never hot or cold. You can also spray your bird with lukewarm or room temperature water from a misting bottle (which produces a finer spray than a regular spray bottle). Misting is a very gentle way to bathe a bird. Never spray directly in the bird’s face.
The BirdWalk is located at 549 Liberty Street in Painesville.
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